The Immortal’s "White Moonlight" Reborn - Chapter 17

Below the Reflection Cliff of the Wenshen Sect lies a “Spirit-Void Zone.” Whether one is an immortal or a demon, anyone standing at the heart of this area becomes as powerless as a mortal, unable to circulate a single thread of energy.

The cliffs above this zone are also affected by this phenomenon. The founding ancestor of the Wenshen Sect specifically chose this location as a place of atonement for disciples who had strayed. Here, with spiritual power restricted and living conditions harsh, the environment is perfectly suited for tempering a restless spirit.

Normally, anyone below the Dao Integration stage can barely use their cultivation on Reflection Cliff. Since this place is a prison in all but name, disciples sent here rarely enjoy any comforts; usually, a rain-shielded cave is the best one can hope for. However, a guest who arrived just a few days ago had been moved into a small wooden cabin that had appeared out of nowhere.

If the other disciples on Reflection Cliff were to see this, their first act upon release would likely be a trip to Mount Yunwu to cry to the Sect Leader about the blatant unfairness. But even stranger was the fact that the cliff was currently deserted.

Every other disciple previously serving time there seemed to have vanished. A deathly silence reigned, where not even the chirp of an insect could be heard—only the whistle of the wind through the grass.

Reflection Cliff had welcomed its solitary “guest.” Aside from two healers, no one knew that Wen Qiwu, who was officially announced to be in “seclusion,” had actually been brought here.

Lu Qiaoyi still remembered the scene she walked into that day. She had never seen Wen Qiwu cry like that. The girl’s frail, lonely silhouette looked like a leaf clinging to a branch in a storm; it felt as though the slightest touch would cause her to crumble completely.

Even so, Qiwu had grabbed the Elder’s sleeve, stopping her from storming off to settle the score with Yun Heng. She insisted she was the one at fault and that her sister had done nothing wrong.

She claimed she was fine, and when she was sent to Reflection Cliff, she didn’t even ask why. She simply became profoundly silent. On the surface, her emotions seemed to have stabilized, but Lu Qiaoyi knew better. Little Bird was merely forcing her spiraling emotions back down into her heart. Over time, such bottled-up grief would inevitably rot from within; even a healthy person would fall ill from such stress, let alone someone as physically compromised as Qiwu.

What on earth could have happened to drive these sisters to such an extreme?

Lu Qiaoyi didn’t dare ask Wen Qiwu, fearing she would only rub salt in the girl’s wounds. But leaving things as they were wasn’t an option. After much deliberation, she decided to make a trip to Mount Yunwu.

The wind and snow on Mount Yunwu were exceptionally violent these days. Even Snowball, a creature born in the frigid polar wastes, had packed its belongings and temporarily moved elsewhere to escape the chill. The cause of this unnatural weather was, of course, the master of the mountain.

One look at the frozen landscape told Lu Qiaoyi that the situation at Mount Yunwu was no better than at Reflection Cliff. She resigned herself to the climb, struggling through the blizzard. Thank goodness she was a Daoist Master; a lesser cultivator might not have made it up the mountain at all.

She searched the peak and finally found Yun Heng standing by the spiritual fields where the rare herbs grew. Likely due to the plunging temperatures, many of the spirit plants had begun to wither.

Most of these plants were intended for Wen Qiwu’s medicine. Yun Heng usually cherished them above all else, and had her mind not been completely fractured by recent events, she never would have neglected them so.

Lu Qiaoyi could see at a glance that the person tending the plants was elsewhere. Yun Heng’s fingers were absentmindedly pinching a petal, nearly tearing it off. The Immortal, usually as pristine and untouchable as the moon, looked remarkably desolate crouched there in the dirt.

“Sect Leader…” Lu Qiaoyi sighed, asking what had happened. But the “silent gourd” wouldn’t open her mouth.

Lu Qiaoyi pressed her repeatedly, eventually invoking the memory of their late Master. Only then did Yun Heng recount the events of that night.

Hearing what Wen Qiwu had said in her drunken state, Lu Qiaoyi fell silent for a long moment. She wasn’t shocked. As Zuo Lan had suggested, only a complete blockhead could fail to notice that Wen Qiwu’s feelings for Yun Heng were far from ordinary. Lu Qiaoyi, who knew them best, had seen the signs long ago.

Her greatest fear had finally come to pass.

“It is my fault.” Yun Heng let go, releasing the poor, mangled petal. The expression in her eyes was a tangled mess of gloom, regret, and self-reproach. She had practically raised Wen Qiwu herself. For her sister to have “strayed” so far, and for the object of that affection to be her—she felt she was beyond forgiveness.

“Sect Leader, let’s put aside the question of who is at fault for a moment. I want to ask you… what do you think of Little Bird? Do you truly see her only as a sister? Or are you simply afraid of what the world will say?” Lu Qiaoyi locked eyes with Yun Heng, trying to see if her answer would come from the heart.

“I…” Yun Heng paused. She looked dazed, as if she didn’t quite understand why Lu Qiaoyi was even asking. “Naturally, I see her only as my sister.” And naturally, she didn’t want Qiwu to suffer the world’s scorn.

But if her heart were truly that certain, why had there been a moment of hesitation? What was the source of the struggle and confusion deep within her soul?

Lu Qiaoyi opened her mouth, then hesitated. She could see the insincerity in Yun Heng’s words, but something seemed to cross her mind. A flicker of inexplicable coldness passed through her dark eyes, and she swallowed the warning she had been about to give.

That fleeting moment of darkness made Lu Qiaoyi look like a total stranger, but Yun Heng’s gaze had already drifted back to the plants. The Elder hid her expression well, and the moment passed unnoticed.

“Very well. You are her sister; naturally, you know best. But did you explain the situation at Reflection Cliff to her?” The coldness in Lu Qiaoyi’s eyes was quickly replaced by her usual warmth.

Yun Heng shook her head, a trace of conflict visible on her face. “I haven’t seen her yet.”

“I had intended it to be a surprise. Never mind, I’ll find an opportunity to tell her later,” Lu Qiaoyi said, signaling her to rest easy.

“You haven’t forgotten what day it is, have you? It’s Little Bird’s birthday… are you still coming?”

The only response was Yun Heng’s silence. She simply didn’t know how to face her sister right now.

Eventually, Lu Qiaoyi’s sigh was swallowed by the howling wind and snow.

When she returned to Reflection Cliff, Lu Qiaoyi’s gaze toward Wen Qiwu was full of apology. She quietly added several priceless treasures from her own storage pouch to the birthday gift she had prepared. She knew these trinkets couldn’t fill the void left by Yun Heng’s absence, but she didn’t know how else to comfort the girl.

“Thank you, Elder,” Wen Qiwu said softly after accepting the gift. Her voice was gentle, and she didn’t appear outwardly disappointed that Lu Qiaoyi had come alone.

However, Lu Qiaoyi didn’t miss the flash of profound loss in her eyes.

As Wen Qiwu looked at the gift in her hands, she felt a hand gently patting her head. That silent, encompassing comfort finally caused the emotions she had been suppressing to crack.

Drip. A warm teardrop fell onto the gift box, followed by another, and another, staining the elegant packaging.

Wen Qiwu stared at the lone gift box through red-rimmed eyes. The “special surprise” her sister had been working so hard on was likely gone forever now.

During these few days on the cliff, she had thought about it a lot. In truth, she didn’t feel much regret; instead, she felt a sense of relief. She had finally given her years of hidden feelings an ending, even if it was a tragic one. Even if she died from Spirit Dissipation in the near future, at least she would die without that one secret hanging over her.

But as the days crawled by, a new fear took root. Elder Lu had brought her here, but her sister had left no message, no explanation, and most importantly—no “sentence” length.

Failing to give a specific timeframe usually meant the exile was indefinite. Given her health, how many years did she even have left? Did her sister intend to never see her again?

“Elder… did Sister ever say how long I have to reflect?” Her voice was thick with unshed sobs.

Lu Qiaoyi felt a pang of pity. Wen Qiwu looked like a small, abandoned animal left on the side of the road, utterly heartbroken.

“You might have to stay here for a few years.” Nine years, to be precise. Nine to reach the end of one cycle and begin the next.

Hearing the answer “a few years,” Wen Qiwu closed her eyes in despair.

Lu Qiaoyi didn’t explain the full plan. She simply offered what comfort she could. “I’ll try to persuade the Sect Leader. Don’t lose heart—when has she ever truly stayed mad at you?”

But this time was different. Before this, she had never done anything truly “sinful” or rebellious in her entire life.

Wen Qiwu didn’t know that Lu Qiaoyi already knew the whole story from Yun Heng, so she sat there, unsure how to even begin explaining her “crime” to the Elder.

“Now, stop those tears. A birthday girl should be happy. I promise things will get better.” Lu Qiaoyi used a handkerchief to wipe the tear tracks from her face, then filled the table with Wen Qiwu’s favorite dishes. Finally, she placed the traditional bowl of “longevity noodles” in front of her. Pressing the girl into her seat, she said, “Trust me. When has the Elder ever failed to keep a promise to you?”

It was just that the way this promise would be kept might be very different from what the Little Bird imagined.

Lu Qiaoyi loved this girl deeply. If the present and future were destined to bring her only pain, then perhaps forgetting would be a mercy.

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